Misunderstood Monsters

Prologue: The Finale

Gustav ran as quietly as he could. His plan had been to release SCP-2396 to draw attention from his setting off the on-site nuke, and it had worked perfectly so far. Now he just needed to get to the panel controlling the bomb.

The lights above flickered and his legs suddenly stopped mid-step, causing him to lose balance and fall over.

A strangling force seized his mind and locked his body in the position it was in. He toppled forward, completely frozen, as if he'd been turned into stone.

A voice, familiar, yet warped and distorted, sighed.

"O̵h̵,̸ ̶G̵u̴s̷t̵a̵v̶.̷ ̸G̴u̴s̸t̷a̴v̵,̶ ̸G̴u̶s̷t̶a̴v̷,̷ ̶G̶u̴s̴t̵a̶v̷.̸"

No. No, no, no!

His body suddenly began moving again on its own accord. It picked itself up from the ground and turned.

A tall, slightly rotund figure walked closer and closer. Its irises glowed an angry crimson.

B-Billy?!

"Y̴o̸u̵r̸ ̴t̶h̵e̷a̴t̵r̴e̸ ̷m̶a̴j̵o̸r̶ ̴m̷a̴y̷ ̷h̴a̶v̶e̵ ̷b̷e̷e̵n̷ ̵u̵s̷e̸f̵u̴l̴ ̶i̴n̸ ̶f̸o̴o̶l̷i̵n̴g̵ ̴a̷ ̶c̸o̵m̶m̶o̶n̷ ̸a̷u̷d̵i̴e̴n̴c̷e̸,̸ ̵b̵u̶t̴ ̸i̵t̵ ̸w̵o̶u̶l̷d̷ ̷n̸e̴v̵e̸r̷ ̶h̸a̴v̴e̴ ̴s̸a̴v̷e̸d̶ ̴y̸o̸u̸ ̸f̸r̶o̷m̸ ̵a̵ ̵t̸r̸a̴i̶n̶e̴d̴ ̷e̴y̶e̸ ̵w̸h̶o̷ ̸w̸a̶s̵ ̴t̷h̶e̸m̷s̵e̸l̷v̷e̷s̵ ̸o̸n̴c̵e̵ ̴a̶ ̶s̵i̴m̷i̷l̷a̶r̸ ̷i̵n̸d̷i̴v̴i̴d̵u̵a̵l̸.̴ ̴I̶'̴m̷ ̵m̸o̵r̶e̸ ̵t̶h̵a̴n̵ ̵j̵u̸s̷t̶ ̵a̷ ̷w̵i̸s̸e̴c̷r̵a̶c̴k̸i̶n̸g̴,̴ ̴h̵a̴p̸p̶y̶-̷g̴o̸-̷l̴u̶c̸k̶y̷ ̸s̸l̶o̵t̵h̶,̶ ̷y̸o̸u̴ ̶k̷n̵o̸w̴.̷"

Wh-What?! Didn't he release his control over-

"Y̷e̸s̸,̴ ̷I̴ ̵d̸i̵d̵ ̷r̷e̸l̵e̸a̸s̵e̶ ̸t̶h̵e̸ ̷m̸i̶n̸d̴s̴ ̵o̷f̵ ̸a̷l̶m̴o̴s̵t̷ ̶a̸l̵l̸ ̴m̸y̸ ̵v̷i̷c̴t̴i̵m̸s̸.̴ ̶A̵l̸m̵o̵s̴t̷.̷ ̵Y̴o̴u̷ ̶s̶e̶e̵,̸ ̶t̷h̴e̸r̷e̴ ̵a̷r̸e̷ ̵t̷w̷o̸ ̶t̶y̷p̸e̴s̴ ̴o̸f̴ ̵p̶e̸o̴p̴l̸e̴ ̷w̶h̵o̸m̶ ̵I̸ ̴d̶i̵d̴n̷'̵t̷ ̶r̸e̸l̴e̵a̶s̸e̴.̸ ̷O̷n̷e̶ ̴b̸e̶i̴n̶g̸ ̵t̴r̶u̷l̴y̶ ̷h̴e̸i̴n̷o̴u̶s̷ ̸c̵r̷i̸m̸i̸n̸a̸l̶s̷,̸ ̸l̷i̸k̴e̷ ̶r̵a̶p̵i̴s̶t̴s̵ ̷a̵n̷d̶ ̸s̴e̴r̸i̶a̶l̷ ̵k̵i̸l̶l̵e̴r̸s̷.̵ ̸T̶h̴e̴ ̵o̵t̶h̴e̵r̴ ̵b̴e̵i̵n̸g̵ ̴C̷h̴a̶o̸s̶ ̴I̷n̷s̸u̶r̶g̴e̸n̶c̵y̴ ̵o̴p̷e̸r̴a̶t̷i̴v̷e̷s̷.̸ ̸T̵h̷e̵ ̶l̷a̴t̴t̴e̸r̵ ̴o̸f̷ ̷w̷h̷i̵c̷h̶ ̵i̶n̷c̵l̶u̴d̶e̴s̸ ̸y̴o̸u̴.̵"

If that's true, then why didn't-

"I̴ ̴d̵i̷d̵n̷'̵t̴ ̴e̷x̷p̷o̴s̷e̵ ̵y̶o̶u̶ ̸e̷a̴r̶l̶i̸e̷r̶ ̵f̴o̸r̶ ̴t̸h̷r̴e̴e̵ ̶r̷e̸a̷s̵o̸n̷s̷.̷ ̵O̵n̴e̶,̸ ̷I̵ ̵f̶e̷a̵r̵e̶d̵ ̸h̴o̵w̴ ̸t̶h̴e̸ ̴F̵o̵u̷n̸d̸a̵t̴i̶o̴n̵ ̴w̶o̸u̵l̸d̶ ̷r̵e̶a̸c̸t̵ ̵t̶o̷ ̴t̶h̸e̶ ̴k̵n̴o̶w̷l̴e̷d̵g̴e̶ ̸t̵h̴a̴t̸ ̶I̸ ̸s̴t̸i̵l̷l̸ ̷h̶a̶d̶ ̵h̴o̸l̴d̷ ̵o̴v̴e̷r̸ ̶s̴e̴v̷e̴r̷a̵l̸ ̷p̵e̷o̴p̷l̶e̷.̸ ̶T̵w̵o̸,̷ ̷I̷ ̵t̴h̴o̸u̷g̶h̶t̴ ̶t̵h̵a̶t̴,̷ ̸w̸i̷t̶h̸ ̵D̴r̷.̶ ̶C̴o̸l̴l̷i̴n̵g̵w̸o̶o̸d̶'̵s̵ ̴h̶e̶l̷p̶,̸ ̴t̷h̶a̵t̶ ̴I̸ ̴c̷o̵u̴l̸d̷ ̴s̴w̸a̴y̶ ̶y̸o̷u̶ ̵f̸r̶o̶m̴ ̷t̶h̸e̴ ̸d̷a̸r̶k̶ ̴p̷a̶t̵h̷ ̷y̸o̸u̷ ̴w̴e̸r̸e̴ ̶g̴o̴i̴n̷g̵ ̴d̵o̴w̷n̵.̷ ̸A̶n̴d̷ ̴t̷h̸r̷e̸e̶,̷ ̷I̷ ̸d̷i̷d̴ ̵n̴o̶t̸ ̴w̷i̴s̵h̸ ̷t̷o̴ ̸b̸e̶ ̴u̷s̵e̴d̶ ̷a̴s̵ ̶a̴ ̸w̶e̶a̷p̴o̴n̶ ̸a̸g̶a̸i̴n̸.̵ ̴I̴ ̶a̷m̶ ̶l̶i̵t̵t̸l̵e̸ ̶m̴o̸r̷e̶ ̸t̸h̶a̸n̴ ̸a̵ ̵r̷e̵s̴i̷d̵e̴n̵t̸ ̷o̸f̴ ̴t̴h̵e̸ ̵F̷o̴u̷n̷d̵a̵t̵i̵o̵n̸,̵ ̸a̷n̸d̷ ̵I̵ ̸t̶e̸l̴l̸ ̸a̵s̴ ̶m̶u̸c̴h̸ ̴o̷r̷ ̴a̶s̶ ̸l̶i̵t̷t̴l̵e̸ ̸a̴s̷ ̴I̶ ̸c̶h̸o̷o̵s̷e̵.̷"

Realizing that Billy - SCP-2774 - could hear his thoughts, Gustav decided to speak directly to him.

What... how-

"O̷h̴,̷ ̷G̴u̴s̵t̷a̵v̶,̵ ̷d̶o̸n̴'̷t̸ ̸y̴o̴u̶ ̴r̷e̷c̵o̵g̶n̷i̶z̶e̵ ̸m̴e̶?̸"

Billy's body glitched, revealing a far more creepy visage underneath the brown-furred, chubby body.

You... You're-

"Y̷e̵s̷.̷ ̴N̷o̴w̵ ̴c̷o̸m̷e̷ ̶w̵i̴t̸h̸ ̴m̴e̶.̷ ̸I̴ ̶i̸m̵a̵g̷i̵n̸e̷ ̸D̶i̵r̵e̵c̵t̴o̶r̷ ̶J̶o̶n̶e̵s̶ ̸w̷o̵u̸l̴d̴ ̶b̴e̷ ̵v̷e̵r̴y̷ ̸i̵n̸t̷e̸r̸e̷s̴t̶e̵d̸ ̵t̶o̸ ̷k̵n̵o̶w̸ ̷t̵h̸a̵t̶ ̸t̸h̸e̷ ̸s̷o̷n̴ ̷o̸f̵ ̷o̷n̸e̶ ̷o̸f̴ ̸t̷h̵e̷ ̷I̵n̴s̵u̶r̴g̴e̸n̶c̷y̵'̴s̷ ̷f̶o̶u̷n̴d̷e̷r̶s̶ ̴d̵e̸c̷i̷d̵e̶d̷ ̵t̴o̸.̴.̶.̷ ̸p̷a̸y̸ ̸t̸h̷e̴ ̶F̶o̸u̵n̴d̷a̶t̷i̵o̵n̸ ̵a̴ ̶v̶i̸s̸i̷t̷,̸ ̴s̷o̶ ̷t̵o̵ ̷s̸p̷e̶a̸k̵.̵"

Billy turned on his heel and walked in the direction of the director's office. Gustav could only inwardly whimper and watch helplessly as his body, under the Slow-Burn Sloth's complete control, walked after Billy to the gallows.